Jennifer Lawrence says she confronted Anderson Cooper after he claimed her Oscars fall was fake

Actress fell while walking to stage to accept award for best actress in 2013

Chelsea Ritschel
New York
Friday 23 October 2020 22:17 BST
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Jennifer Lawrence says she confronted Anderson Cooper after he questioned whether Oscars fall was real
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Jennifer Lawrence has revealed she confronted Anderson Cooper after the CNN host claimed her fall at the Oscars in 2013 was faked.

The actress reflected on the embarrassing moment she fell while walking up the stairs to accept her first Oscar for best actress and her eventual confrontation with the news anchor during an appearance on Heather McMahan’s Absolutely Not podcast.

In response to McMahan’s question about what it was like to win the Oscar for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, Lawrence said: “I was ready for it. I was very nervous and also very superstitious. I didn’t want to acknowledge the possibility that I would win. I didn’t want to write down a speech.

“I had everything in my head. I was very, very nervous but I was ready. All of the adrenaline clears out and they call my name and I’m elated and I’m in shock. And then I fell, and it erased everything from my mind. My full brain went blank.”

After tripping while wearing her Christian Dior Couture gown, the actress made it to the stage, where she began her brief speech: “Thank you. You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell and that's really embarrassing but thank you.”

According to Lawrence, while she can look back at the fall “fondly” now, she said for a “very long time the fall thing was very sensitive.”

The 30-year-old said the moment became even more upsetting when she saw Cooper on CNN days later accusing her of faking the fall.

“Anderson Cooper, I saw him on CNN three days later saying: ‘Well she obviously faked the fall,’ and it was so devastating because it was this horrific humiliation to me," Lawrence said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever have a chance to give a speech like that again, so it didn’t feel good for me not to have a speech."

Lawrence was so bothered by the journalist’s claim that she approached him at a Christmas party, where she “let him know.”

“My friend told me a vein was bulging out of my eyes. He apologised,” she recalled. “I think we’re good friends now. On my end, we’re all good. What I led with was: ‘Have you ever tried to walk up stairs in a ball gown? So then how do you know.’”

Why Jennifer Lawrence Fell at the Oscars

According to the Red Sparrow star, Cooper apologised “immediately”.

“He apologised immediately and said he didn’t know and gave this wonderful apology. I was all fired up. He probably told everyone I was a psycho,” Lawrence concluded.

This is not the first time Lawrence has blamed the gown for the fall. While speaking to reporters after accepting the award, the actress said: “I tried to walk up stairs in this dress. That’s what happened. I think I just stepped on the fabric and they waxed the stairs.”

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